On an unexpected poetry kick. I hadn't read Atwood's poetry before, and I liked this a lot. Exactly the kind of contemporary poetry I like, with startling imagery married to a conversational tone and a sense of humor. It also worked really well as a book, with the poems all operating in conversation with one another.

A few of these poems are lightweight or feel dated, but the section about the death of her father is especially strong and very moving. "The Loneliness of the Military Historian" and "Half-Hanged Mary" are also exceptional. ( )

Morning in the Burned House - Atwood
5 stars

I can never decide how to review a book of poetry. I could make a list of favorites, pull out the best lines as examples, but all that does is chop up the whole. It would be difficult to pick a favorite from this collection. There were very few poems that didn’t touch me. There are few that I haven’t read more than once. These poems are everything Atwood; satirical, strident with feminism, harshly ironic with life’s realities. I keep going back to them.

Alright, just a partial list. I laughed out loud at the f**k o** last line of “Manet’s Olympia”. I never cared much for that painting. It means so much more to me now. I had a similar response to “Helen of Troy Does Counter Dancing”. (This collection was published 10 years before The Penelopiad but these poems have the same Try Me feminine outrage.) “Half-Hanged Mary made me want to close my eyes and back away from the nightmare images. Atwood writes about loss, grief, and aging. “King Lear in Respite Care” paints an agonizing picture of end-of-life disability and hospitalization. “Flowers” takes on the flip side, the role of a carer who can do nothing of use,

“A suffering you can neither cure nor enter-
There are worse things, but not many.
After a while it makes us impatient.
Can’t we do anything but feel sorry?”

And then there are poems of nature and ecology; “Frogless” and “Vermillion Flycatcher, San Pedro River, Arizona” among others. But, now this is just becoming a list. It could go on until I’ve listed every one. I’d rather open the book and reread from the beginning. ( )

Though I really cannot remember the last time I read a book of poetry, when I spotted this library discard by the well-respected Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, I could not resist. I was hooked with the first poem, as I felt that these words could have echoed from my own thoughts -- a feeling that continued with many more poems in this book. I also loved that she did not feel the need to make her poems rhyme or follow any specific rhythm. I believe the technical term is free verse. At any rate, it was much more freeing to read than the typical poetry I remember from my school days. I find myself also growing in respect for the author, as I think it is rather courageous to publish a book of poetry, even for an established author like Margaret Atwood. Poetry somehow feels more raw and closer to the heart of the author than a lengthy work of fiction. Though I have jotted down bits of poetry in private moments, I would not dare share most of it with anyone. Some of my favorites are "A Sad Child", "Red Fox", and "Helen of Try Does Counter Dancing", but I found something to like in every poem. I highly recommend this very enjoyable read, even if poetry is not your cup of tea. ( )

My second read of Atwood's lovely collection of poetry ingrained them even more into my imagination. Her poetry creates a mythology of the everyday and brings a feel of reality to mythological tales, often speaking from the point of view of a previously silent woman. This is a beautiful collection, which I will be adding to my personal book shelf as soon as I can. ( )

A lovely collection of honest poems--some of Atwood's best, in my opinion. ( )